A Manuscript Copy of the Earliest Printed Form of The Star Spangled Banner

Handwritten Score and Lyrics, The Star Spangled Banner. Air Anacreon in Heaven., Ca. 1814. Bound in one volume containing Thomas Carr & Co. printed sheet music, circa 1800-1811. Folio. 260 pp. Some tears and chipping, slight loss at bottom of first page. Volume cover loose, well worn with chipped corners. Pages browned, foxed, wear at edges. Bound with several dozen contemporary printed works of music & song sheets. A compilation of early American 1800s printed sheet music with blank notation pages at the end filled with about six hand transcribed tunes, one of which is "The Star Spangled Banner." This is quite rare, likely one of only a few contemporaneously hand-written versions, clearly penned with words and music very soon after the first version was made available in 1814.The song appears on two pages; "The Star Spangled Banner. Air Anacreon in Heaven" with the first page being the first stanza and musical notes, the second containing the remaining three stanzas. At the bottom of the first page, the initials "L. H." appears with a slight tear up into the page which may have included the last name of the writer.After first being circulated as a handbill, Thomas Carr's first version of the sheet music for "The Star Spangled Banner" was published in Baltimore, September 17, 1814. Evidence suggests that this hand written version may have been copied from Thomas Carr's since the notation here, "con spirito," appears in Carr's two printings, but was changed to "with spirit" in other contemporary printings. Additionally, there are several ink notations above the treble score that seem to have been included at the same precise locations in Carr's versions.The flyleaf is inscribed in pencil: "To Miss Nancy Carey from her grandmother Eliza S. Leiper." Eliza Snowden Thomas (1792-1868) was born in Maryland of John Chew Thomas (Quaker politician and legislator, whose home was "Fairland" in Anne Arundel County) and Mary Snowden. Eliza married Judge George Gray Leiper, at "Lapidia," his country place near Philadelphia. George Gray Leiper (1786-1868), was a congressman and court judge.The name plate "E.S. Leiper" on the cover and many of the individual songs notated "Miss Thomas" in pencil indicate that this was a compilation of specially selected tunes complied for the benefit of Eliza Thomas--a wealthy young woman learning the pianoforte.Most tunes are from Carr; Carr & Schetky, and Carr & Co. Musical Repository. Some are from G. Willig's Musical Magazine. This dates the compilation of printed music to between 1800 and 1811. Some of the selections come from the Musical Journal for the Piano Forte, which spanned five volumes and was the largest collection of secular music in the country. Indeed, at least one piece, "The Love Letter, Composed and Sung by Braham in Family Quarrels," is from "Musical Journal no. 103." The first musical piece is "The Battle of Maringo: an historical and military piece for the piano forte, with an accompaniment for a violin" by B. Viguerie, Philadelphia : G. Willig, published 1804 -1807 (Wolfe 9483).Benjamin Carr (1768-1831), older brother of Thomas, began his own music-selling and music publishing firm in Philadelphia, with a branch office in New York. He became the most important and prolific music publisher in the United States in the 1790s. In 1797 he sold the New York operation to James Hewitt. From 1803 to 1811 Carr was partners with George Schetky, a local violincellist and composer. The firm of Carr & Schetky issued the final volumes of The Musical Journal for the Piano Forte. The first two volumes, issued weekly for twenty-four weeks during the winter and spring, were published by Joseph Carr in Baltimore in 1800 to 1801 with Benjamin acting as musical editor. It was the most ambitious musical publication issued in America during the period and the first major American music publication offered in magazine form. Benjamin Carr left the publishing business for sev. (See website for full description).…